A new employee is lucky when he can prove his worth to his new boss during his first week on the job. Leo, the newest employee of the Greene County sheriff’s office, had that sort of luck last week, just three days after starting work. The 2-year-old German shepherd and his handler, chief deputy Jack Williams, reported to work for the first time together last Monday, Feb. 3. They scored their first “bust” Wednesday at Sparky’s One Stop in Rippey.
Leo had been trained for two years by Midwest K-9 in Des Moines, and he and Williams did two weeks of training together at the Anamosa state penitentiary in January. Williams has nearly 10 years of experience with a K-9 partner, eight of them with a black lab Ranger, who retired Jan. 19.
Wednesday morning, Feb. 5, Williams and Leo, along with two other Greene County deputies, were dispatched to the Rippey Sparky’s for a report of two suspicious males who were loitering near and inside the building. Deputies determined there was an outstanding Dallas County arrest warrant for one of the men, Anthony David Rothmeyer, 44, of Grand Junction.
Rothmeyer was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Matthew James Kilts, 31, of Perry. During a search of the vehicle, K-9 Leo hit on the passenger seat of the vehicle and on a pair of overalls on the back seat of the car. Deputies found suspected methamphetamines, syringes and scales under the seat.
The deputies noticed that Kilts was nervous as Rothmeyer was being patted down, and that Kilts went into the men’s room several times and spent a long time there. The deputies checked the men’s room but found nothing. They interviewed Kilts and didn’t find any reason to detain him any longer; they let him leave. They arrested Rothmeyer on the Dallas County warrant and on Greene County charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Williams went back into the men’s room after Kilts left. “I looked around and did not locate anything. I believed that the subject had probably flushed any evidence that he had,” Williams said. “So I brought K-9 Leo in and had him search the bathroom. K-9 Leo put his front paws up on the sink and was smelling down in the bowl of the sink…. I took Leo outside and got a flashlight. Due to Leo showing the most interest in the bowl of the sink, I looked down the sink drain with the flashlight and could see a plastic bag about an inch or so down in the drain.”
Williams used a tool to pull out about 8 grams of suspected marijuana and the top of a plastic bag. A warrant was issued for Kilts charging him with possession of marijuana.
It’s a start on Leo’s tally. In K-9 Ranger’s tenure with the sheriff’s office he uncovered 18 pounds of marijuana, 3 ounces of methamphetamine and about 3 ounces of cocaine. Estimated value of the contraband is $30,000.
While Ranger was trained only in drug interdiction and tracking unarmed people, Leo is also trained to apprehend armed suspects, and if necessary, to protect an officer’s life.
Training of any K-9 unit is ongoing. Deputy Dave Kersey spent two days at Anamosa with K-9 Leo and Williams so he can assist in Leo’s training. When it comes to chasing a fleeing suspect, Leo is trained to approach the suspect and to detain him by biting his arm or leg. Leo is trained to bite with his molars in order to slow down and immobilize the suspect rather than to tear flesh. He will also stop a pursuit mid-chase on a command from Williams. Leo, Williams and Kersey demonstrated those skills briefly at Kelso Park last Friday before doing some joint training with Carroll County deputy Jon Cretsinger and his K-9 partner Ike.
Ranger is enjoying retirement at the home of one of Williams’ longtime friends. The sheriff’s office is still raising funds to finish paying for Leo’s $10,000 purchase and initial training fees. Persons or organizations that would like to donate to the K-9 fund can send a check to the Greene County sheriff’s office at 204 S. Chestnut St, Jefferson, IA 50129. ~Victoria Riley
